EDRINGTON SELLS CUTTY SARK TO LA MARTINIQUAISE-BARDINET

Edrington and La Martiniquaise-Bardinet, have today announced that they have concluded an agreement on the sale of the Cutty Sark Scotch whisky brand, for an undisclosed sum.

La Martiniquaise-Bardinet, which is the second largest spirits group in France, and owns brands including Label 5 and Glen Moray Scotch whisky, is now looking to further strengthen its position in Europe and boost its presence in key markets such as the US and Japan.

Edrington sells Cutty Sark to La Martiniquaise-Bardinet

Cutty Sark, was launched in 1923 and is one of the most recognisable Scotch whiskies in the world, with a long and distinguished heritage celebrating the spirit of adventure. Edrington’s association with Cutty Sark stretches back over nine decades to the 1930s. The completion of the transfer to La Martiniquaise-Bardinet is expected within a month.

Commenting on the news, Ian Curle, Chief Executive of Edrington, said: “Cutty Sark is a great Scotch whisky and has been a worldwide whisky icon for the last 90 years. We are pleased to be transferring the brand to La Martiniquaise-Bardinet and know that it will thrive under their ownership. We wish them all the very best for the future with this great brand.”

As part of the deal, Edrington will continue to provide blending and bottling and other associated services during a transition period.

Posted by Steve Rush

THE SPIRIT OF YORKSHIRE DISTILLERY LAUNCHES ITS FOURTH MATURING MALT BOTTLING

The Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, has announced the launch of the last in its first series of Maturing Malts, ahead of the bottling of its first single malt whisky in 2019.

Sprit of Yorkshire Distillery Project 004 (46% ABV) has been produced using a marriage of three cask types; bourbon, oloroso sherry and re-conditioned red wine casks.

Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery Project 004


Sprit of Yorkshire's Distillery Projects 004, is described as being ‘elegant, fruity and aromatic with notes of salted caramel, crème brûlée, toffee apple, honey roasted nuts, orange sherbet and five spice.'

The Yorkshire based distillery, which was launched in 2016, is a collaboration between farmer and brewer, Tom Mellor from Wold Top Brewery and business partner, David Thompson. The pair have invested significantly to follow their dream of creating a Yorkshire whisky that doesn't simply replicate Scotch.

The distillery is a true field to bottle setup and boasts some of the most impressive distilling equipment in the country, including two of the largest Forsyth pot stills operating in the UK outside of Scotland.

Commenting on the launch, Joe Clark, Whisky Director, said: "The Maturing Malts series evolved from positive feedback to samples of the maturing spirit that visitors enjoyed when touring the distillery. A year on from our first bottling, we have watched our spirit continue to develop and soften as oak and time deepens the aroma and flavour. Cask selection for DP004 has been a real voyage of discovery taking us through our 2016 cask fillings, many of which continue to advance at an astonishing rate.”

Limited to 2,000 bottles, Sprit of Yorkshire Distillery Project 004, is now available from spiritofyorkshire.com for a RRP of £39.95.

Posted by Steve Rush

THE ORPHAN BARREL WHISKY DISTILLING COMPANY LAUNCHES ITS LATEST RHETORIC RELEASE

The Orphan Barrel Whisky Distilling Company, has announced the launch of the latest bottling in its ‘progressively aged’ Rhetoric whiskey series.

Rhetoric 25 Year Old (45.5% ABV) is a Kentucky straight bourbon, which has been produced using whiskey stock that was found in the old Stitzel-Weller Warehouses. The whiskies were distilled between 1990 - 1993 at the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky.

Rhetoric 25 Year Old

Aged five years longer than their previous Rhetoric 20 Year Old bottling, this latest release in the Diageo owned series, which sets out to rescue nearly forgotten barrels of whiskey, has a mash bill of 86% corn, 8% barley and 6% rye.

This latest Rhetoric release, is said to deliver notes of rich oak, vanilla, dried fruit, cherries and allspice on the nose. Followed by notes of nutmeg, caramel and cocoa on the palate.

Rhetoric 25 Year Old, will be available next month in the US, from specialist retailers, for a RRP of $140.00.

Posted by Steve Rush

THE EAST LONDON LIQUOR COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF ITS INAUGURAL RYE WHISKY

The East London Liquor Company, has announced the launch of its inaugural rye whiskey, the first to be produced in East London in over a century.

The East London Liquor Company – London Rye Whisky (46.8% ABV) was produced using a mash bill of 42% rye and 58% extra pale malted barley, and was initially matured in 30 and 60 litre new French oak casks for one year, followed by two years in ex-Bourbon barrels, then a month in an ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry cask.

The East London Liquor Company - London Rye Whisky

Bringing distilling back to London’s East End for the first time following the closure of Lea Valley in 1904, East London Liquor Company has been leading the boom in quality spirits since it began distilling in 2014.

Unrestricted by the rules that govern Scotch, East London Liquor Company seized the opportunity to create an altogether different whisky that will appeal to a range of drinkers and cement their position as London’s leading distillery.

Enforcing their commitment to creating great whisky, at the end of 2017, the team expanded the distillery, installing a new whisky still and brew kit to bring the entire whisky production process in-house.

In May of 2018, the company secured £1.5m in funding through Crowdcube, which has contributed to quadrupling the site’s whisky production capacity. This expansion will allow the team, led by whisky distiller Andy Mooney, to utilise their previous experience in brewing to experiment with unusual bases from which to distil the whisky.

Commenting on the news, Andy Mooney, said: “The great thing about producing our whisky in London is that we have a clean slate to be creative. We’ve put a lot of attention and care into our first release of London Rye – from the char levels of the barrels, to the exact ABV of the final product; perfect to drink neat the minute you crack open the bottle.”

The East London Liquor Company – London Rye Whisky, will be available from selected bars and restaurants across the UK and from the East London Liquor Company bottle shops in Bow Wharf and Borough Market, for a RRP of £85,00.

Posted by Steve Rush